Night Of The Ill Minded
by Purplehood
Summary: You never know when life is going to take a turn for the worst. Anything can happen. One little mistake could change your life forever. It had not been their best day, but neither Ben nor Rook could have guessed what was going to happen that night.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is my first Ben 10 fan fiction. It is set during Omniverse, but I have changed some things. Tell me what you think...**

 **Chapter 1: Some Days**

It had been a long, tiring day of trying to keep the twisted world together. It was becoming a routine-a sad, sick cycle of having to stop some psycho from robbing a bank, setting off a bomb, or even abducting people. Usually Ben would have been basking in his victory, but today was different. It was rare that any casualties would occur during an open fight, but it did happen. And it had been happening too often for the teen.

He sat down at the picnic table and leaned against his hand, looking off despondently. He always felt guilty when an innocent person got stuck in the crossfire, especially when it was all because of a petty thug. The teenage boy wiped a few strands of brown hair out of his face as he let out a weary sigh.

"Ben?" The boy was jarred out of his thoughts by the voice. He quickly turned and recognized the tall figure of his partner, a cat-like being with sleek, light blue fur dressed in blue and black armor. The alien was looking down at him through his yellow-orange eyes, his characteristic unsure frown on his face. Ben smiled slightly when he saw the two _Mr. Smoothie_ cups in the alien's hands.

"Thanks, Rook," he said as graciously as he could. The blue Plumber nodded and set a cup in front of him. Then sitting down opposite to Ben, he sipped his own drink.

Ben regarded his cup for a moment, a smoothie—his all-time favorite beverage. But the interest was lost immediately, and the young crime-fighter continued his stare off into the distance, thinking. Tonight wasn't a night for smoothies. He knew Rook was just trying to be nice, but Ben would have rather gone straight home after… everything that had happened.

Lately, the gangs and criminals were getting better. More organized; even to the point of making allies with each other. They were already slowly gaining control of the poorer parts of Undertown, the lower city. Ben felt horrible for those poor citizens who had settled far away from home only to soon fall under the domain of a crime-lord. The thought made him nauseous. He wanted to stop it. He couldn't help feeling guilty, as if it was his fault for letting things get so out of hand. How much more could he have done that he didn't? Maybe it _was_ his fault.

"Ben, are you alright?" asked Rook, who was now starting to feel uncomfortable at his friend's uncharacteristic silence. It was always horrible when an innocent citizen was killed, but it wasn't like Ben to be silently pondering over it. Ben would usually be doing one of two things at the end of the day: explaining how awesome he was for stopping a crime or ranting about how twisted and sick the low-lives were. But Ben did neither as he slowly turned to face his companion, taking in a deep breath.

"I don't know," he answered somewhat awkwardly in a tone and volume that was clearly quieter than his usual. "The bad guys are getting bolder with all these attacks. I feel as though something's going to happen sooner than later… something really devastating. Something we will never be ready for."

Rook remained silent and folded his arms on the table.

Ben reluctantly sipped his drink, watching as the cold sugary liquid went up the straw, although he could hardly taste it.

"We weren't ready for _this_ ," he ended in an even softer voice—almost a whisper. He stared at the Ravonnahgander and waited for him to reply.

"Indeed," Rook finally answered with a hint of sadness in his voice. He looked down at the table as the gentle summer breeze softly blew through the fur on his face. He was worried. Things like this were happening more often. And though how small they seemed to be, they were traumatic in their own way. Ben might have had more experience than Rook, but who could ever get used to murder? The question was starting to chill him. Some people _could_ get used to it. The real question was if you were _willing_ to get used to it.

The evening sunlight warmed the back of his head; it reminded him of that calm peaceful time after a thunderstorm, only there was nothing peaceful about it. This felt more like the inconvenience of the weather not raining during a funeral. It just wasn't right.

Neither figure said any more, and Rook let his thoughts take over, allowing himself to remember the event earlier that day.

A small convenient-store was being robbed by three or more low-lives. The day had been uneventful so far, so Ben and Rook had rushed to scene to help. Usually this was an easy job for the two Plumbers, especially when they had police backup. But things started to take a turn for the worse when one loathsome thief stumbled through the entrance holding a gun to his hostage, the store cashier.

"Don't move or I'll shoot her!" the frantic robber screamed out. His hand was shaking nervously. He seemed to have been the chosen distraction. The teenage girl yelped helplessly with the black masked man behind her, keeping a cold grip on her arm. The line of police officers aimed at him, Ben and Rook in front.

Ben slowly moved closer to them, his hand hovering over his Omnitrix ready to change his shape. "I don't think you really want to do this", he said slowly and calmly. He confidently made his way till he was only a few feet away from the two figures. The robber anxiously backed up until his back was pressed against the glass of the entrance door. He shakily pointed the gun at Ben then quickly back at the girl. He knew what Ben could turn into and his small pistol wasn't going to help.

"Your _friends_ put you up to this, right? Let's talk about it," Ben negotiated in a soft creepy voice, never breaking eye contact. The frightened expression of the robber became more noticeable. His eyes widened every time Ben lowered his hand towards the Omnitrix, and he couldn't keep his lips from trembling. Ben mentally smirked, he was enjoying this.

At this point, Rook aimed his proto-tool at the man's hand. At the right moment he could shoot the gun out of his hand.

"Your buddies are probably escaping with the money right now. You're just a distraction. They don't think you matter," Ben stated with a shrug.

The unsettled robber pulled his hostage closer, using her as a human shield to hide behind. "I will shoot her," he yelped desperately, digging the barrel of the gun deeper into the girl's blonde hair. He hadn't asked for this! They said it would be an easy way to get some cash! Where were they?

Ben didn't back off. Panting heavily, the thief turned his head to look back in the store in desperation. _Had_ his accomplices betrayed him?

This was just what Rook needed to take advantage of the situation. Without hesitation, he fired a stun-laser at the low-life's hand. There was a sharp clink of metal against concrete as the pistol fell on the ground, the wailing black-mask nursing his stinging hand above it.

It seemed like the police now had the upper hand. Ben was just about swoop in and help the blonde girl away, more than happy to be the dashingly handsome and slightly overly enthusiastic hero…but nothing could stop what came next.

Before anyone could do anything, another gunshot was heard from behind. Rook felt a jolt of panic spike through him as the girl who had not had time to move suddenly dropped to the ground like a stone, a hole in the middle of her forehead. The robber behind her also stumbled to the ground, blood gushing from his neck. One bullet had gone through both.

Everyone stared in shock, some not even understanding what had just happened. It had happened so fast.

Rook was the first to recover. Shifting his proto-tool into a scanner, he quickly traced the bullet to the three-story building behind the line of police vehicles. "Up there!" he yelled, his voice shattering the silence. He could see the sunlight reflecting on the black sniper rifle above.

Ben snapped out of the shock, and in a flash of green light, instantly turned into one of his aliens, a tall black and dark blue hooded insect-like creature.

"Big Chill!" he yelled in a raspy voice as he spread out his large wings. The Necrofriggian took off at high speed to the top of the building where the sniper was positioned.

Medical assistance arrived as soon as he left. The flashing lights and high-pitched sirens only added to the growing chaos. A crowd was already beginning to form.

A paramedic jumped out of one of the ambulances and rushed over to the fallen girl and man. Rook followed close behind.

The girl was obviously dead, a pool of blood surrounding her head and matting her blonde hair. Rook felt a twist in his stomach as he remembered her blank expression, her brown eyes staring upward as a thick blob of blood trickled down her forehead. The noon-time sun was beaming down on the sight mercilessly, scorching the pale, clammy face. She hadn't even been the target. Rook forced his eyes away then turned to the man a few feet away.

The medic had already knelt down next to him examining the wound. The robber blubbered out something incomprehensible as blood filled his mouth and poured down his cheeks, soaking into the fabric of the black mask. Rook was sickened by the sight. In a few seconds he would be dead too, drowned in his own blood. Someone had not wanted him talking and they had been willing to kill anyone to ensure no one could find out what they had to hide.

As he watched his partner's saddened expression, Ben remembered his experience as well.

He had flown up to the roof of the building before the sniper could get away. He spotted the figure leaning towards the edge of the roof, ready to jump. Slung over its shoulder was a strap securing the sniper rifle to its back. Ben could tell by the oddly shaped body that the murderer was an alien.

"So, you think you'll get away with killing two people in front of a crowd of police?" Ben hissed, the voice of his alien form coldly soft. "You have to be one of the stupidest bad guys I have ever fought." A black eyeless mask hid whatever expression possessed the face of the silent sniper. Making no verbal reply to Ben's sneer, it simply pulled the gun off its back and fired. Ben dodged the bullet as the alien dropped the gun and leapt across to the next building with surprising agility. "Oh no you don't," Big Chill spat. He zoomed after the alien keeping level with it.

Noticing Ben following, the alien pulled a smaller gun (obviously alien-tech) out from the belt around its waist. It twisted its upper body completely around and began firing short yellow lasers at the large blue-black form.

 _What-the-heck?!_ Ben thought as he phased through the beams of hard-light. _Creepy!_

The alien came to another edge, twisted back around and flipped over to get to the next roof. Ben felt a tingle of jealousy. His competitive side was starting to take control.

"Let's play Freeze tag, Flippy!" he yelled out. With that, Big Chill flew higher until he was above the alien then he dove down as fast as he could. He spread out his wings to catch the air right before hitting the roof and blasted his rival with his icy breath as it tried to flip over to another roof.

The air around his opponent's legs literally froze. They were instantly coated in a layer of ice as the alien crashed onto the top of the building. It toppled over, sliding across the roof before coming to a final stop in a twisted unnatural ball attached to an ice-cube.

Ben landed in front of the mess. A green glow emanated from him as he morphed back to his normal human form.

"So, who are you and why did you kill your buddy?" Ben asked, barely suppressing the urge to beat the sniper to a pulp. The alien lifted its head up from its tangled limbs. Its hand was still grasping the small gun.

 _Darn it!_ Ben thought to himself. He had thought Mr. Flexible had dropped the gun during the fall. He took a step back and brought his hand up to the Omnitrix. "Don't even try it, Dude. I'm in a really bad mood."

The alien just stared at him through its ominous mask before suddenly throwing its head back violently and screaming out in a language that sent a shiver through the teen hero. Before Ben could stop it the alien brought the gun up to its head and fired.

Whoever else was involved had gotten away during the commotion. The police were left with three bodies and a lot of questions from the news reporters who crowded around the crime scene.

"I wish we had stopped them," Ben broke the silence.

Rook nodded sadly at his partner's simple desire. "Something is definitely going on," Ben continued not ever caring about stating the obvious. "The thing that happened today was more than a robbery. Someone killed that guy so he wouldn't talk and then killed himself so he wouldn't." Ben sucked through the straw of his drink and stared down at the table intensely.

"We will just have to wait for the results from the autopsies. We will probably get at least some clues on where to start searching for answers," Rook said, "the identities of the criminals, at least."

Ben crossed his arms. That could take forever, and if he knew Grandpa Max, it would be a while before any _real_ action took place, especially with the press demanding answers. Sure, there were the forensic investigators and detectives and what not, but they had witnessed the murders… and the murderer was an alien… something else had to be going on, something the Plumbers wouldn't be able to handle alone, let alone the normal police force. An idea suddenly popped into his head, an idea that made him want to smile with impish glee.

"Or we could perform our own investigations. Who knows, might be quicker," Ben said coldly, the edges of his mouth curled up ever-so-slightly. First, he had to get his non-agreeable partner in on it.

"What do you mean?" Rook asked, giving his partner a suspicious glare as the unsure frown formed spontaneously. Ben shrugged as a mischievous smirk appeared on his face.

"Going down to Undertown and actually looking around. We could do some investigating around the _Black Hole_ and other places without anyone getting in our way," Ben said, Rook caught the tint of excitement in his voice.

" _That_ would be breaking protocol," he said sternly. "We were told to wait for authorization on any researching related to this case. And we do not even have a clue about who is working with whom. That sniper seemed to be some sort of fanatic." Ben's impish smirk morphed into a long playful grin. Rook huffed and rolled his eyes at his partner. Why did he even bother?

"Come on, Partner. We don't have to tell anyone, no one will even know about it," Ben said, beaming at the thought. "You know it would be fun." Rook kept his solemn expression.

" _It would be_ extremely unwise. What would we do if we really got into trouble? Who knows what we might stumble upon _without_ backup?!" Rook said, but he felt a small feeling of anticipation nagging him from the back of his head. _Maybe, it might be a little fun,_ he admitted to himself.

Ben leaned back in his chair and groaned.

"Why do you have to be so… Plumber-y?" he moaned. Rook crossed his arms and sighed. The normal Ben was back.

The latter drained the last of his seemingly tasteless smoothie and threw the empty cup at the garbage can a few feet away. Rook watched as it flew through the air, hit the side of the can, and bounce off. Ben cringed in embarrassment.

"Why do _you_ have to be so immature?" Rook retorted. He took his cup and threw it into the garbage can. The cup landed with a _plump_ —a perfect shot. Rook smirked ever-so slightly at Ben's dumbfounded face.

"Oh yeah, right, _I'm_ the immature one," the teen laughed.

Rook smiled. He walked over, picked up Ben's cup and dropped it into the garbage. Then he turned back to Ben who was starting to get up from his seat.

"What if we asked Magister Tennyson first? I am almost certain that he would grant permission if we requested," he said. Ben face palmed. Why couldn't Rook just lighten up a bit? The guy was so uptight and weird!

"Really, Rook?" he deadpanned. "Come on. You know grandpa is gonna take too long. He always does! Don't you want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible? Don't you want to stop the bad-guys before they do something like this again?!" He stared directly at his partner with narrowed eyes as confident grin replaced his face.

Rook stared back, his expression straightening into a frown once again.

"I…" he began. Ben just continued to stare him down. He wasn't just going to give up to a guy who thought he was so cool because he wore his armor everywhere. Besides, Rook took his job as a Plumber extremely serious. Ben knew what he wanted; he wanted justice for all "bad-doers".

The blue furred alien finally dropped his gaze. "Fine," he gave in with a sigh. _Perhaps it will lighten the mood a bit,_ he thought to himself.

"Yesss!" Ben exclaimed through his toothy smile, pulling his fist down in victory. It was almost too good to be true; Rook was actually agreeing to do something fun!

"As long as I take point and you do not go off and get killed," Rook interjected immediately. Ben frowned. _Too good to be true._ "And you do not cause any trouble; meaning no unnecessary transformations…" _Blah, blah, blah._ Ben waved his hand.

"Yeah, Yeah, okay, Plumber boy, I don't need you to mother me to death," he said sarcastically. Rook raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something. The sudden buzzing sound of Ben's phone cut him off.

Ben flipped out the phone. "Speaking of which," he said before Rook could ask. He looked down at the phone for a moment and frowned. "Mom and Dad wanna make sure I'm okay. They saw the News report and are kinda worried... I better go check on them," he sighed, rolling his eyes. Rook didn't see why.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked, shrugging off the questions he had about the English language.

"No, I'll just use Jetray or Big Chill," Ben answered motioning towards his Omnitrix. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, partner." He gave Rook a wily smile and blinked.

"What time?" Rook asked a little reluctantly. Ben shrugged.

"After patrol?"

Rook nodded uncomfortably. He wasn't completely at ease with the plan, but maybe it was for the best. Cases like this often took too long to crack, and they were stressful. It might be good to see what they could find while having a little fun.

Ben turned to walk away. Then he stopped. "Oh yeah, Rook?" he said turning back.

"Yes?" his partner answered.

"We need to be careful now wherever we go. I don't think this incident will go over well for aliens," Ben said in a serious tone, "No matter who they are. There are a lot of nut jobs out there, alien and human."

Rook nodded. He wasn't a stranger to either. He waved goodbye to his friend as Ben slammed down on the Omnitrix. In a green flash, Ben morphed into a black and blue reptilian-like alien with a long striped tail of the same colors, a Kineceleran.

"XLR8? Really?" Ben grumbled in his alien's high-pitched voice. "I wanted Jetray, stupid Omnitrix!" Rook smiled and let out a sigh, slightly shaking his head. XLR8 gave him an exaggerated huff before speeding away down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Don't Look Now**

Rook watched as the sun set in the sky melting into the beautiful pink and orange clouds surrounding. The rest of the sky steadily faded out into a deep blue—It still didn't fit the mood, but it was hard to stay frustrated at something so beautiful in nature. It seemed more soothing now. Rook's mind wondered back to earlier that day. Ben was right. This would not be good for aliens.

Frowning, Rook turned and crossed the street to where his Proto-TRUK was parked. He took one last look at the sunset before opening the door to the driver's seat. It had been a long day. There was only one good thing he had to look forward to. He couldn't wait to get back to base, go to his dorm room and go to bed. He could at least enjoy a few _peaceful_ hours of rest. Rook took a deep breath. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

A strange feeling suddenly overtook Rook as he stared into the car, a feeling of not being alone—he could have sworn he had heard something…something unnatural…or maybe he had felt something, like an interruption of the air surrounding him. Had something brushed past? Rook rolled his eyes at himself. _Really, Blonko? You are way too jumpy right now_.

But the cold uneasy feeling crept up his spine and filled his thoughts with eerie images. Rook inadvertently became aware of the fact that it had been too silent; no sound of any cars or people, not even a bird. How long had it been like that? The Ravonnahgander tried to dismiss the new finding, but he instinctively froze where he was and strained his ears to listen for any sound. He could feel his heart beating steadily faster as he inhaled and exhaled, the sound piercing into the ominous silence. _Maybe it was just an animal._

But Rook could not resist the impulse to look behind him. It was just too quiet, as if something or someone was stalking. The sunlight was slowly fading into a dark dreary blue, getting darker and darker as dusk began its decent into the night. He felt a chill shoot up his back as his thoughts began to twist with possibilities.

He finally gave in to his instinct and spun around, his eyes scanning for any movement among the wooden chairs and tables. But there was nothing out of place. The last beams of sunlight lit the wall of _Mr. Smoothie's_ (which had closed while he was talking with Ben) and the picnic tables casting long shadows behind them. There was no one there.

Rook smirked at his paranoid outburst. _Now you just look like an idiot,_ he told himself. But he felt his tense body relax a bit, relieved to feel somewhat safe again. He was ready to go home.

Rook turned back around as the last of the fear died down…he was still safe… or at least he felt safe…

Before his eyes even had time to register the presence of the figure, Rook felt the heavy fist collide directly with his face. Pain flooded to the spot instantly as he was thrust backward before crash-landing onto the hard black asphalt of the street.

He yelped in pain and surprise as a thin trail of blood trickled down from his nose. The tremendous pain in his head briefly paralyzed his whole body. He lay gazing up at the sky, his vision pulsing black around the corners of his eyes. _WHAT WAS THAT?!_

Fists clenched, Rook pulled himself up as soon as he mustered the willpower to see who his attacker was. Meeting the armored figure, his reddened eyes narrowed.

The large man was standing next to his truck, suited in some sort of hybrid of modern tactical armor with a medieval twist to it. His broad shoulders were slightly lifted in a show of victorious pride, and he stood looming over, as if he wanted to strike fear at the sight of the red crest in the middle of the silver chest-plate.

"Looks like you aliens don't give a hoot about innocent people. Shooting that poor girl and all," the huge man sneered at Rook in his cockney accent. His helmet only reached just beyond his nose, allowing the long, menacing grin to be perfectly visible. He cracked his knuckles threateningly as he slightly tilted his head, as if sizing Rook up.

Rook clenched his teeth as a throbbing sensation of anger filled his brain. He recognized the man as a member of the _Forever Knights_.

The Forever Knights had started as out as a gang, strictly humans only. They were aggressively against aliens on Earth. They had records of assaults and robberies—aimed mostly towards aliens—and vandalizing certain businesses they knew to have alien connections. They had always annoyed the Plumbers. They had grown in number until they had gained sympathizers. Wealthy ones. Some people just didn't want aliens around, and the Forever Knights offered a remedy for the problem. They made it one of their ideals to make life on Earth as unwelcome for aliens as could be.

But the Forever Knights had grown into a terrorist group with the funding they were receiving. They were a much more serious threat now. Rook had read the files. A few rogue scientists, hungry for alien technology and biology, had found the perfect opportunity for illegal and unethical research under the cover of the Forever Knights organization. Their crimes now included blackmail, smuggling, kidnapping, murder and even alien experimentation. They had gained a high rank on the Plumber's most wanted list.

"If you had your facts correct, you would know that I was one of the Plumbers attempting to stop the criminals this morning," Rook hissed as he wiped the blood from his nose. "And you, sir, have just assaulted me." The heavily armored knight let out a snort.

"What are you gonna do? Arrest me?" he laughed, holding his hands out together mockingly. "That really worked this morning."

"Well, it is going to work tonight. You are under arrest for assault and any other crime you have committed while being associated with the Forever Knights organization," Rook said. He grabbed his Proto-tool from his shoulder and cocked it. "Stand down," he commanded, aiming at the knight.

The man raised his arms up in the air, a smirk spreading across his face. Rook slowly moved closer, his gun ready, his eyes never breaking eye-contact. Obviously, something was up.

"What's wrong? I thought Plumbers were not afraid of anything," the knight mocked. Rook slowly reached for the handcuffs attached to his belt.

"You have the right to remain silent," he answered coolly. Rook cautiously stepped up to him, lowering the gun to cuff him. The perfect moment. The knight suddenly lunged at Rook, grabbing hold of the Proto-tool with one hand and Rook's upper arm with the other. He wrenched the gun and Rook's arm in the opposite direction.

Rook instinctively pulled the trigger, the shot missing the knight entirely. He gasped in surprise as the knight released his grip and swung another punch at the alien. Rook swiftly dodged the blow.

Jumping up, he kicked the man in chest, regaining the Proto-tool only to receive a kick to the stomach soon after. Rook gasped and backed off, nausea almost getting the better of him.

"Better be careful from now on. Your alien ways are not going to be tolerated anymore," the knight laughed.

Rook stumbled backwards as anger again clouded his head. This guy didn't care about the people who died. He just wanted to use them as an excuse to beat up an alien. He just wanted a fight. And Rook was going to give him one. Surely, he could take on one Forever Knight alone if he was ready.

Rook steadied himself, ignoring the pain in his stomach and charged back toward the knight. _What am I doing? This man is much stronger than me. He could be armed! Get backup! Call HQ!_ Rook screamed in his head, but he had already made up his mind, even if it had been a foolish decision. He was going to bring this man to justice—or try to, at least.

The knight let out a roar of laughter in satisfaction, which just made Rook angrier. He jumped up in the air, his Proto-tool switching from shotgun to power-sword. Rook swung the sword over his head to build up the force of the impact. If he struck a certain point on the knight's armor several times, the sword's glowing blade would act as a taser, immobilizing him.

Rook, however, never even made it to his target. Almost as soon as he jumped, a shining red figure met him in midair, slamming into him and throwing him off course. Rook slammed into the rear bumper of his truck, bashing the back of his head again. He looked up and rolled out of the way just in time, the strike of another sword just skimming his forehead and embedding into the metal.

He jumped up and blocked another several maddened strikes with his own sword. His eyes could hardly focus on the figure furiously swinging its duel red blades. He jumped back to escape the range of the glowing red spiral of the power swords.

The attacker pulled back as well, waiting for Rook to make a move as it glared at him like a vulture. The red electric glow of the power swords danced over the reflective surface of his red armor as the sky grew darker and darker. The knight was much smaller than the first and was obviously more agile.

As soon as he found his bearings, Rook launched himself back at the ninja-like knight. He clashed with the two power-swords and forced his opponent's arms in the air. He then dropped down leaning on his hand and swung both legs into the scarlet attacker's, sending him to the ground. Rook leapt up and kicked the knight to the side before he could get up.

 _Great, now there are two,_ Rook thought to himself. His head was throbbing in pain now. He wiped the sweat and blood off his face with his hand. _I really need to call HQ._ His thoughts were immediately interrupted by an angry grunt several feet away. Rook jerked his head to meet with the first knight once again. How could he have forgotten?

The large thug was racing towards him, teeth clenched, fists ready. Rook took in a quick breath and latched onto one of the large shoulder plates as soon as it made contact. He swung himself up and over the knight with one arm, landing unharmed on the other side. He switched his power-sword back into a shotgun as the large knight spun around in a rage to face him. Rook aimed at him, panting heavily. He hadn't noticed how exhausted he really was.

He went to pull the trigger, but a sudden feeling sent an alarm through all his senses. The Ravonnahgander spun around to face another knight coming up from behind. The figure wore silver with a red cloak covering his breastplate and falling down to his knees. His helmet resembled a bronze comedy mask, the open mouthed smile and squinted eyes glowering at Rook.

The knight went in for a cross-punch that was quickly redirected by Rook. He fired at the new attacker, but his legs suddenly were kicked out from under him. The blast missed its target. Rook caught himself on his knees and swiftly reeled away from whoever the next attacker was. He looked up and felt a jolt of panic as he realized that not only one but two more armored knights had now joined the fight.

The next attacker seemed to be the twin of the first. His long red cloak flowed over his chest, moving in the gentle wind. The only difference was the shape of their faceplates. This one had a bronze tragedy mask, the exaggerated sad face looking down at Rook. Both knights were the same height and build, both were armed with short swords, and both of these were pointed at Rook. The two faces glared down at him, one looking down sarcastically, and the other mocking.

Rook forced himself up, blocking another blow from Comedy with his proto-tool. He knew he couldn't take on all the knights at once. They were different from usual petty thugs and low-lives. They were organized fighters. Tragedy swung at his head. Rook blocked it with the shotgun before spinning around to fire at the other twin trying to stab him from behind. The blast hit Comedy, who went flying back but was almost completely unaffected by the stun-shot and returned almost at once.

Rook was being overwhelmed. He knew he had to get out.

Every time he tried to catch his breath he was met with another hit to the face or attempted blow by a sword. The twin knights were practically on him, never backing off or stalling to allow him any room for a counterattack. He succeeded only in blocking the majority of their attacks, his strength diminishing steadily with every blow.

Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he managed to hold off his two opponents long enough to switch the Proto-tool to its defense-mood. He watched as the translucent orange hard-light formed a circular shield, regaining a slight amount of confidence for Rook. But it was not to last…

Rook turned too late to notice the red knight rejoining the fight. An explosion of pain shot up the side of his chest as he received the splitting kick to the side. He staggered forward, almost collapsing as the knights held back, embracing their new role as spectators. Pain pounded his side as Rook steadied himself enough to balance on his knees. Why hadn't his armor absorbed the impact?

Rook looked up dazed and unfocused at the figures, the sheen of their armor the only visible details in the dim light. _What are they waiting for?_ Rook suddenly felt a cold hard grip on his arm. A shiver shot through him. He had just enough time to glance at the grinning face before the bulky knight swung him into an ally-way between two buildings close by.

Rook crashed into the side of a dumpster, hitting his side of his face hard against the green painted metal. He moaned as blood began to dampen the fur of his cheek. He forcefully rolled himself back over, wheezing loudly.

The light of day was gone by now, replaced by a heavy blackness of night. Rook could hardly make out the silhouettes of the figures coming up to him from the shadows all around. How many were there? He felt around for the Proto-tool, but he was sure he had dropped it during his fall. He could just barely make out the outline of his Plumber badge lying next to him among the various other things littering the ally.

With hopeful desperation, Rook reached out for it, but he had hardly brushed it with his fingers before one of the knights stomped down on it, smashing its wiring beneath the booted foot.

Rook's whole body was exhausted, his lungs were practically yelling at him to give up. His head was burning from the inside, almost as if it were threatening to rupture. But Rook wasn't ready to give in just yet. Using the dumpster as an aid, he stumbled to his feet one more time. A sadistic snicker pieced the quiet darkness surrounding him.

"You will not get away with this," Rook jeered shakily, his tongue practically pasted to the inside of his dry mouth. He held tightly onto his bruised side as he backed against the wall. The mocking laughter continued in the gloom.

"Whatever you say, Plumber," the all-too-familiar cockney voice replied scornfully.

In anger Rook threw a punch towards the voice, but his hand was slapped away like a fly. He wasn't a threat anymore—he was too weak to be a threat. A dark silence took domain for what seemed like hours to Rook. He stood shivering and breathless in the dark, cornered like an animal. He felt weak and helpless… feelings that he hated.

With breath-taking speed, something shot itself out of the blackness towards Rook, latching onto his face. Rook gasped and hissed in pain, clawing at cold object, but it was too strong. It wouldn't let go. The thing tightened its grip, sending Rook into total panic as he realized what it truly was… a hand.

 _WHY IS IT SO STRONG?!_ Rook wondered. No matter how hard he struggled it wasn't even loosening. It wasn't human… It _couldn't_ be human. _SO WHAT IS IT?!_ But Rook knew that not knowing was the least of his problems. He had to get away from _whatever_ it was.

The hand pulled his head forward violently before smashing it into the wall of one of the brick buildings. Pain shot through his head like fire. He couldn't do anything. It drew him back and did it again, and again, and again. Rook tried to scream out, but his voice was muffled by the metallic palm. He continued to be slammed into the brick until he felt the back of his head drenched in blood. The pain was excruciating.

Rook couldn't feel anything else anymore; it was as if his whole body had gone numb except for one place. The sneers of laughter pounding in his ears, Rook felt the throbbing pain through his matted, wet fur. He didn't know if he was going to die, and he didn't care…he couldn't care. Everything was just a jumbled up mess in his head, complete turmoil. He couldn't focus. Nothing mattered. It was just pure chaos. The merciless hand slammed him into the wall one last time. Rook let the last bit of consciousness leak out from him as he slowly faded away.

As his body went limp the twin knights grabbed onto his arms, holding him up against the brick wall.

The red knight released his grip from the alien's face and stepped back to examine his work. He had used just enough force to knock out the target out, yet he could have easily killed him. Rook's head hung down, his eyes were closed. There was a large gash on the back of his head, but the wound wasn't enough to be fatal. The real trauma was internal... a perfect distraction to get the job started. The largest knight smiled in satisfaction.

"Make sure our lil' friend here is still among the livin'," he grunted. One of the twin knights turned to his leader and nodded. Rook was still breathing…loudly because of his bloodied nose. "Good, let's call the king," the large knight continued. He tapped his ear a few times, activating his com-link.

"Sir Morton, I expect you have some good news?" the voice came from the com cool and softly… a chilly innocent sound, yet somehow extremely sinister as well.

"Yes, your majesty. I believe we've found the perfect test subject for your project," Sir Morton answered, "Ben Tennyson's best mate, Rook Blonko."

"Ah, yes," the Forever king sighed, "Ben Tennyson's _alien_ partner, a high ranking Plumber, I believe. This works perfectly. Proceed as planned. And make sure he receives the full dosage."

"Yes, your majesty," Sir Morton replied with a grin. He tapped the com again and turned to Tragedy. "Inject 'im," he grunted the command.

The twin knight let go of Rook and reached into a bag around his arm. He pulled out a small syringe and a vile containing a translucent blue liquid. He knelt down and began filling the needle with the liquid as the other twin knight carefully removed the blue armor from Rook's left arm.

The highlights of a car were approaching from down the street, casting a yellow light that was creeping closer. Sir Morton knew they couldn't be seen in the shadows of the ally, but he wasn't going to take any chances. "Make it quick! Don't want to be 'roun 'ere for witnesses," he whispered.

Tragedy took Rook's arm and pressed the needle through his fur into his vein. The blue fluid slowly drained from the syringe into his arm. Rook let out a quiet groan as the Forever Knight withdrew the empty needle and replaced his armor.

"Good. Now let's get this fellow back to the street. Wouldn't want 'im to be missed before the fun starts," Morton laughed, showing his large teeth with a cruel smile.

The red knight seized Rook by the arms and dragged him over to his truck. He leaned him against the door and turned to the others. "Sweet dreams, Plumber," Sir Morton sneered. As quickly and silently as they came they were gone, disappearing into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Wake Up Call**

"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?" Rook heard the far away voice as if it were part of a forgotten memory trying to come back. His head was pounding, but he was just so tired. He didn't want to wake up yet. He let out a moan. "Good! Good. You can hear me. Now just listen to my voice and stay with me," the voice continued in a slight southern accent. It wasn't familiar to Rook, but it sounded male, human male. _Am I dreaming?_ Rook felt like his head was pressed against something cold and hard. Whatever he was laying on was hard too. _Where am I?_ Rook thought to himself. The unfamiliar feeling was just enough to force him awake. Rook tightened his face and then slowly relaxed, allowing his eyes to open slightly.

It was still dark, the sides of the sky only just beginning to glow blue, but Rook's eyes had adjusted well in the dark and a street lamp dully lit the sidewalk next to his truck. He blinked a few times before slowly looking up at the figure leaning over him. It was a human man who looked like he was in his late twenties wearing a worn yellow jacket and a pair of ripped jeans, probably a construction worker on his way to work. He was looking down at Rook with a concerned frown. "Where am I?" Rook said out loud unintentionally. The man scratched his head and bit his lip.

"Uh…Main Street, right across from _Mr. Smoothie's_ or…uh… do you mean what planet?" the man asked awkwardly. He had never really spoken to an alien before. He reached out a hand to help Rook up. Rook pulled himself up to a standing position, instantly feeling the pain return to his head. He grimaced as he touched the gash with his hand. It had stopped bleeding, but it stung and he had the worst headache ever. He turned and looked at his truck with a frown. A bloody smear was wiped across the door where Rook's head had rested. _Oh dear._

"You're a Plumber, right?" the man asked staring at Rook's unusual armor. Rook nodded towards him, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He was dizzy and he could hardly focus. It was like he was trying to remember what he already remembered. _I need to get back to base. I probably have a concussion._ He wiped his face and winced as his hand passed over his bruised and swollen cheek.

The man stared at him in awe and realization. He couldn't help it; he had never actually seen a Plumber close up. And he had a guess at who he was looking at. As his eyes wandered to the gashes in the light blue fur, he dropped his gaze awkwardly. _Seriously? The guy is hurt! Why am I just gawking at him?_ "Um…You look pretty beat up. Want me to call an ambulance, or could I give you a ride to…uh…wherever?" the man asked, scratching the back of his head. Rook hesitated as he felt his bruised side. His fur was spiked up in dried blood. His head was spinning. He felt physically horrible, but he was alive, and less injured than he would have thought. He was so…confused.

 _Why would they attack me? Why am I not dead? What happened? The Forever Knights attacked me. But what happened? I am not dead. Did they not mean to kill me? Why would they risk getting reported?_ Rook clenched his teeth in frustration as the questions whirled around in his head. _Pull yourself together, Blonko!_ Rook took a deep breath.

"It would be unwise for me to drive in my condition. It would be great to get a ride back to the Plumber base, thank you for the offer," he said, forcing all his thoughts together to answer the man.

"No problem…I mean it's an honor…um…sir. My name's Quinn by the way," the man answered eagerly, giving Rook a friendly, yet very hard and long handshake.

"I am Rook Blonko," Rook answered, trying not to cringe in pain as his hand was shaken mercilessly. He pulled his hand away from Quinn. "Thank you, Quinn." Quinn's eyes widened as an enthusiastic smile spread across his face. He gave the alien a clumsy salute.

"I knew it! You're Ben Tennyson's sidekick, right?! It's the least I could do," Quinn burst out. Rook groaned under his breath. _Sidekick?_ The word added to his pounding headache. _Is that what Ben has been going around calling me?! Sidekick! He's lucky to be alive because of me!_ The crude statement joined the whirlwind of thoughts. Rook recoiled and rubbed his temple. Did he really just use a contraction over something so… trivial? _Let it go. Just get back to base,_ he told himself.

"Partner," he corrected coldly. Quinn smirked in embarrassment.

"Partner, yeah, sorry," he blurted out, "My truck's parked over there." The worker pointed across the street to a dimly lit pickup truck. Rook couldn't tell what color it was. Maybe it was the dark or maybe his vision was a little fuzzy; Rook couldn't tell that either. He held onto his side tightly and stumbled across the street.

 _Just get back to base._ Soon he would be back at base and able to file a report on the knights' attack. It looked like Ben's adventure would have to wait. Rook wheezed as he stumbled along; it would probably take a while for his injuries to heal. _Ben is not going to be happy about that._ Quinn tagged along after him like a happy dog, tickled that the partner of _the_ Ben Tennyson was getting a ride from him.

…

Ben woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating. He groaned as he reached out to his bed stand and picked it up. He sat up in bed and rubbed his tried eyes. Then he glanced at the clock. 4:45. _Who could be calling at this time?_ Ben flipped over the buzzing phone and recognized his grandfather's contact. "Grandpa?" he whispered to himself. Rather reluctantly he dragged the answer button across the screen and held the cell phone to his ear.

"Hey, Grandpa Max. What's with the wakeup call?" he asked as he yawned. "Is something going on?" He remembered his conversation with Rook and felt a nervous turn in his stomach. _If Rook spilled the beans, I'm gonna kill him!_ Ben thought to himself.

"Yes, Ben, something's happened," his Grandpa answered in a serious tone. Ben gulped, expecting his allowance to be cruelly suspended any moment.

"I don't want you to panic, okay?" Max continued. Ben smiled in relief. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to involve his plans for tomorrow and he wasn't in trouble. "Your—"

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I can handle it. What happened? Bubblehelmet escape again? Khyber's looking for me? Some more thugs?" Ben asked with new found childish confidence. "Or did you find a clue about the thing that happened yesterday? Are you done with the autopsies?"

"Ben, Ro—"his grandfather tried to start again.

"Please tell me you have a clue to who these guys are. You guys always take way too long with things like this," Ben cut his grandfather off with a groan. "And, Grandpa, I have been itching for some Humungosaur action! In fact, I was thinking that if you didn't need us tomorrow, me and Rook could—"

"Your partner was _attacked_ last night, first of all," Max interjected in a voice that could hardly stifle its frustration. He was more than a little irritated at Ben's obnoxious interruptions.

Ben's snarky smile turned immediately as the severity of the call sank in. Reality had just smacked him right in the face.

"Wait-what?" he managed to finally stutter out after a few seconds of shocked silence. A million thoughts penetrated his brain instantly. "Is he okay? When did it happen? Who attacked him? Is he hurt? He's okay, right?"

"Ben, calm down. Rook's fine. A little beat up, but fine," Max answered as slowly and soothingly as he could as his own anger cooled down. "He is a Plumber after all. I need you down here though, a.s.a.p."

"Why? What else happened?" Ben asked with a new tone of concern, whipping the covers aside and jumping up.

"I'll tell you when you get here," his grandfather's raspy voice answered a little impatiently. "Just get over here immediately. With Rook down, I'm going to need you more than ever."

"Okay. Be there in five," Ben answered quickly. He hung up the phone and raced to get his things ready. _How could I have been so dumb?! Figures something like this would happen,_ he yelled at himself. He quickly changed his clothes and stampeded down the stairs with several loud thuds.

He didn't bother to keep quiet. He had other things to worry about. He was boiling with anger thinking about whoever attacked Rook. _Probably some stupid gang of punks trying to make an impression,_ Ben thought to himself. _But Rook isn't just some feeble alien who can't defend himself from a bunch of teenagers. Something else must be going on. Who would risk taking down a Plumber? Who can take down a Plumber without having the media right on his tail?_

Ben ground his teeth together thinking about the last question. People were getting less tolerant of aliens. _Some_ reporters might even speak positively about the event—or at least make so many excuses for it. The event the day before had not helped aliens at all. To be kicked off Earth wasn't a very nice thought.

There were some people who didn't want aliens on Earth, and Ben didn't blame them. There were some aliens who had threatened Earth and humanity countless times; people get scared. But that is why they had Ben and the Plumbers, to stop the evil, to keep everyone safe; not only the humans but _everyone._ How was being hostile to aliens going to help anyone? And would things ever go _that_ far anyway? Despite how much he denied it, Ben wasn't sure.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and swung around the corner, bashing into the living room bookcase. Ben huffed loudly in annoyance. _Stupid thing!_ A rustling sound from upstairs caused him to jump back. _Darn it!_ He held his breath in hope that…

"Ben, Sweetie? Is that you?" came the tired yet concerned voice of his mother… in hope that _she_ wouldn't wake up. He let out his breath in a long, weary sigh. He didn't have time for this.

"Yeah, Mom," he answered dryly as he pulled a hoodie over his attire.

"What are you doing up this early?" Sandra asked with a yawn. Ben cringed at the question.

"Mom, I really can't get into the details right now. I need to go. Can't talk," he yelled out as he made a beeline for the front door. He needed to escape right now. He couldn't get caught in another family discussion. He yanked open the door. Apologies and explanations could come later.

"Ben, but we were going to…" his mom's distant voice started.

"Call you later!" Ben yelled out before slamming the door behind him. A gust of damp air touched his face as he let out another sigh of mixed feelings. He ran his fingers through his matted hair and nibbled on his lip. A strong feeling of guilt was already swelling up inside him.

It had been so long since he had shared breakfast with parents, or lunch, or dinner, for that matter. He was always too busy off saving the world…and hanging out with friends. But he also felt a little relieved to have escaped from organic whole-wheat potato and spinach pancakes. He smiled slightly. They should invite Rook over more often; he would love the food.

A worried frown replaced his face as he remembered. He was already late. He selected an alien form on his Omnitrix, pressed down and hoped for the best. His body began to morph. His head flattened as yellow horn-like stems grew out from the sides, and his mouth bended upward. Yellow skin stretched under his now-red arms, creating wings, and small black claws grew out from his fingers. A red tail finished the transformation. "Jetray at last," the red and yellow skinned alien sighed. "At least one thing is working out today."

Ben took off over the blue-washed houses of the neighborhood. He usually loved flying, but he wasn't enjoying it now. I seemed too cold for a summer's morning, too dark for dawn, too quiet for a day on Earth. Deep down he knew that mom's attempt at breakfast wasn't just for family-time-together; she was worried about him. So many things were going on and her son seemed to be stuck in the middle of them. It was only a matter of time before the effects of having to save the universe all the time showed. Jetray shivered; she was right.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is the edited version of chapter 4. I also edited chapters 1 and 2 for those who haven't noticed. Special Thanks to my friends Rookblonkorules and Cassandrameda for all their help. And thank you to all those who have reviewed and followed this story. :)**

 **Chapter 4: Mysteries**

Ben had barely landed on the sidewalk in front of the store before his Omnitrix emitted several low beeps and engulfed him in a green light. Not even waiting for his glowing figure to die down, Ben kept a steady pace towards the door of the "Max's Plumber Needs".

At any other time, he would have smiled at his grandfather's failed attempt to disguise the Plumber's headquarters. But now wasn't the time for that.

As he morphed back to his human form, Ben entered the store and raced through the aisles of tools and equipment. Thankfully, the store was empty, meaning he didn't have to deal with the weird looks from actual customers. It would be a strange sight to see a teenage boy rushing through an appliance store to get to the restroom.

The air was thick with the smell of rubber that almost forced a sneeze out of the young hero, but he couldn't complain. This was the fastest and easiest way into the Plumber base, however uncomfortable it was.

As soon as the wooden door of the bathroom was in his sight, Ben took in a large gulp of oxygen and held his breath. _Oh please be quick! Please be quick!_ he mumbled silently. He reluctantly reached out and gripped the doorknob. As the door creaked open, Ben bit his lip and peered in. 

The room was not the most sanitary place in the world, with yellow stained walls and the slimy grey tiles of the floor. The overpowering odor caused him to cringe in disgust as he dared to enter. An overhanging light-bulb cast a sickly yellow glow over the room, giving it the final touch. Ben gagged as he quickly shut the door behind him. _Eww!_ _Eww!_ _EWW!_

He didn't care to look any farther than he needed to. Overall, this room was an ironic abomination to plumbing itself. Ben had to admit it was genius. No one would ever expect this horrid area to be a secret entrance. The teen wasted no time in grabbing the metal chain attached to the bare bulb and violently yanking it down.

In an instant, the tiles of the floor separated, forming a circle around him. A low humming noise penetrated the air before the disk of floor beneath his feet illuminated the room with greenish light and steadily began to descend into the ground.

Ben let out yet a relieved sigh as he watched the last bit of the bathroom disappear above him. The round walls of the tunnel sped by as the platform dropped lower and lower.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Ben dropped his gazed down to the floor. He felt so useless, and he couldn't help feeling responsible for everything. _First that girl and now Rook._ Of course, Rook wasn't dead, but Ben hadn't even seen him yet. He didn't even know how injured his partner was. And the attack on him had probably been meant for Ben. _Why does this keep happening?_ he mentally questioned himself.

The tunnel-like elevator finally came to a slow halt and emitted a buzzing noise to announce his arrival at the Plumber's headquarters. Before he knew it, the walls departed from each other, allowing a bright entrance into the busy new world.

Ben forced himself to put aside his miserable mood and took a step out of the elevator. He stood stationary for a moment, rubbing his eyes to adjust to the brightly lit corridor. Then he looked up and scanned his new surroundings.

Plumbers both human and alien were racing about the white and green-plated hall performing their own different duties and missions. Ben smirked sadly. It was almost a funny sight to see so many different shapes and forms belonging to the same organization. And so ironic.

"Ben!" the voice stood out from the rest of the noise and turmoil. Ben reflexively turned to its source and quickly spotted the unmistakable figure of his grandfather coming towards him.

"Grandpa Max," he called out, waving his hand. The older man strolled over to him, his grey hair very reflective in the white artificial light. His furrowed eyebrows and squinty eyes granted him an odd look in contrast with his playful Hawaiian tee-shirt. Ben could tell he was worried… and he looked utterly exhausted.

"Ben, good thing you're finally here," his grandfather rasped in a hurried manner. "I was beginning to worry…" He gestured for Ben to follow him as he turned direction.

"How's Rook?" Ben asked as he began walking down the hall beside Max. The man placed his hand on his forehead and sighed wearily.

"Better than he was, but he'll be out of the action for a few days," he grumbled. "One thing I really didn't need was one of my best Plumbers down, especially after another incident like this." Ben's head drooped at the mention. The guilty feeling was returning. He slowed his pace to allow his grandfather to take lead. And glancing down at the Omnitrix, he frowned. _How many people are depending on me? And I keep failing._

"Yeah, I'm sorry," he mumbled sadly. He hoped Rook was okay.

"And one thing I don't need now is you going off by yourself to do who knows what," Max continued almost accusingly, ignoring the apology completely. "I need you to listen to orders and stay focused, Ben." He paused as his momentary frustration cooled down. "There's something I need to show you."

Ben frowned. He hated being treated like a kid, especially by his grandfather. The urge to tall back was tugging from the back of his throat, but Max was noticeably more irritated than usual. And it wasn't like that was going to help strengthen his maturity level. Thankfully, curiosity soon replaced Ben's moodiness as he followed his grandfather into the monitor room.

Several Plumbers were standing around watching the ending of a video-feed on one of the large monitors. Other Plumbers were stationed at the rows computers gaining and organizing the data streaming in from the many security-cameras throughout Bellwood and Undertown.

Max lead Ben to the main control station where the tall, fish-like form of Magister Patelliday was leaning over a control panel typing various keys and squinting at the small screen in front of him. He pulled his attention away from his work long enough to acknowledge the new-comers and quietly engage Magister Tennyson in a conversation…a conversation neither Plumber cared to invite Ben into.

The teen grumbled under his breath, his former mood restored. Twisting the strings of his hoodie around his fingers impatiently, he looked up at the large over-hanging screen above the platform. He didn't have time for this. And _they_ didn't either.

"So, what's goin' on?" he scuffed towards the two Magisters. The two forms looked over at him. His grandfather frowned. Magister Patelliday stepped back and surrendered the control panel to him.

"Just watch this and you'll find out," Max answered as he stepped up and tapped the keyboard with his fingers. Ben watched with an annoyed curiosity as the large screen lit up and began relaying a video.

The footage began with a distorted black figure zooming past the front gate of what looked like a factory building. The darkness of the night almost completely hid the form from sight. And Ben would have easily missed the barely visible figure in the black and white recording had not Max pointed to it.

"There," his grandfather said. Ben tilted his head in confusion as the blur disappeared off-screen. Magister Patelliday rewound and paused on the image of the mysterious figure.

"Umm…there what?" Ben asked, completely perplexed and frustrated by the recording and picture of a seemingly glorified blur. Max sighed.

"About 12:45 last night this thing was caught on one of the security cameras outside ZAK Labs," the Magister explained.

"So?" Ben persisted. "No offence, Grandpa, but I don't see what this has to do with anything. Can I go now? I want to see how my partner's doing."

"Ben, this is important. ZAK Laboratories mainly conducts research on animal biology. Early this morning we received a report that several containers of snake venom have gone missing," Max replied in a voice slightly edged with impatience.

Ben mouthed a somewhat sarcastic "Ohhhh," before furrowing his eyebrows in thought. "And you want me to look into it? I know that's really weird and all, but isn't this a job more suited for the police?"

The frown on Max's face grew longer as he shook his head. He sighed heavily and rubbed his temple. "No, Ben. This particular venom is…" he instinctively lowered his voice to a whisper, "from an alien species."

Ben's eyes widened a little. "Okay, that's a little weird," he stated after a few seconds, his curled finger touching his chin in thought.

But looking down at the Omnitrix once more, his expression changed. "But I still don't know why the police can't handle this. Don't we have other things to investigate right now? Like whoever attacked Rook?! Or who that guy was yesterday?! Do we really need something else too, Grandpa?" Ben snapped almost angrily as he glared at the Magister.

Max was unmoved by Ben's hostile outburst and simply turned to Magister Patelliday. "Patelliday?" he asked. The Magister nodded and took over the control panel.

Max folded his hands behind his back and stared up at the screen. He then continued without turning to his grandson, "We weren't aware of the fact that the scientists at ZAK labs were even in possession of alien life forms and fluids. Whoever stole the containers knew exactly what he was after. There was hardly any evidence of a break-in, and those containers were locked up. So our first thought was that the thief must have been on the inside somehow, but this footage seems to show…"

Ben reluctantly turned his attention to the monitor with narrowed eyes. He still wondered how this _thing_ could possibly be more important than everything else going on, but he felt bad for snapping back at his grandfather. The least he could do was watch and listen.

A wave passed over the blurry image as the focus zoomed in on the suspect. Ben stepped closer for a better look until he was right in front of the screen. He felt a sickening curl in the pit of his stomach as the image began to sharpen to reveal a gruelingly familiar figure. Ben's jaw dropped open in shock.

"The alien sniper from yesterday!" he finished for Max. The eerie eyeless black mask and hunched form was now clearly distinct from the shadows a few inches away from the dimly lit gate. Ben bit his lip; reality had once again smacked him in the face.

"But that guy is dead! The Plumbers have the body!" He spun around to face his grandfather. "Right? How is this…What's?...I don't get it!"

"Well, it appears there might be more to this case than meets the eye," Patelliday spoke up, folding his arms across his chest. "The police handed over the bodies to the Plumbers, so we know for a fact that this fella, whoever he is, isn't the sniper from yesterday. His suit and mask _obviously_ bare a resemblance to the sniper though."

"Yes. I was hoping you and Rook could investigate since you both seemed so eager to take action," Max continued. His frown returned immediately. "But almost right after we received this footage, your partner arrived looking pretty beat up. Apparently, he was ambushed by the Forever Knights."

Ben frowned. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. "Forever Knights? It just keeps getting worse, doesn't it?" he hissed quietly. His hand tightened into a fist at his side. _Why the heck would the Forever Knights attack Rook? And how many snippy-mc-sniper guys can there be?_ It was just too weird.

His grandfather heaved out a sigh.

"Yet another nuisance to add to our plate. But let's not lose hope just yet. It pains me to ask but, do you mind going out alone today?" the Magister asked. Ben looked up at him. There was a look of distress on the teen's face which worried the Plumber. He hoped he wasn't over-burdening his grandson. "Or I could assign another Plumber to assist you."

"No, that's fine. I just want to check in on Rook first," the boy answered wearily. Max nodded.

"I'll come with you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, people! I have managed to write another chapter finally; it's not the best, however. I do not own Ben 10 or any characters except my own OCs (which aren't very important to the story anyway… such as Quinn in chapter 3.) I'd like to thank my friends (you know who you are) for their help. And I am also extremely grateful to those who reviewed. Please continue to do so, but don't feel forced. And please enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Cuts and Bruises

Rook flinched as he pressed the icepack against his bruised cheek. The stinging sensation traveled down to his jaw as he inadvertently ground his teeth together in reaction to the pain. With a glance around the room, the Plumber's expression drooped. Spending the day here had not been the plan conceived yesterday, and Rook now had all the time in the world to reflect on that fact. It was almost funny how fast things had gone from bad to worse. Almost.

His injuries had included a deep gash that had required twelve stitches on the back of his head, a badly bruised side, and a sprained ankle, in addition to the many cuts and bruises adorning his face and upper body. Rook also had a minor concussion which had granted him one enormous headache.

Heaped on top of that, the sterile white medical room was almost intimidating with its emptiness. Other than the bed, a small compartment for medical items, a sink, and a metal chair in the corner (which were all painted white as well) the room was blank—a perfectly white void cube. The blindingly pallid fluorescent light wasn't helping at all either, and the feeling of being confined in such a place only further agitated the Ravonnahgander. The feelings of being exposed and vulnerable were ever present, especially with the lack of his armor, even if that form of protection had proved unreliable. Rook was simply helpless—just like before.

With a frustrated huff, the Plumber strained himself to sink back down onto the stiff med-bay mattress, pulling the sheets up soon after. He then shifted his focus to the white-painted wall directly parallel to the white-sheeted bed and allowed a wave of embarrassment pour over him.

With absolutely nothing physical to occupy his thoughts (well, other than soreness), Rook involuntarily replayed the ordeal in his mind over and over, cringing as he recalled his naive and hasty mistakes. How could he have been so foolish? Charging blindly into danger like some inexperienced, trigger-happy cadet—or even worse—like Ben!

Rook shut his eyes in an attempt to block the image. Ben wasn't going to let this one go for long time. Not only were they going to have to cancel their explorations, but the doctor had just informed Rook that he wouldn't be able to perform any Plumber work for some time. He needed rest for his injuries to heal…not stressful action-packed missions.

Although Rook preferred the latter, he had to admit the first did sound appealing…in fact, it sounded quite desirable. If only he could escape this empty prison-cell; then maybe he would be able to rest in actual peace.

Three very sudden hard knocks on the door rudely tore apart the blank silence of the room, startling Rook and causing him to shoot up in a panic as images of his enemies flashed through his mind.

"Plumber Rook Blonko?" a sweet sing-song voice chimed from behind the door. Rook let out a sigh and settled back down after a few seconds. _The nurse,_ he told himself as he sat up. _Again._

After several more thuds, the alien reluctantly turned his attention to the door, wishing that somehow the knocking would cease just because he wanted it to. _Why is the door even closed?_ he wondered.

"Rook Blonko?"

 _No. Please go away_ , he begged silently, but he knew it was hopeless. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK…

"Come in," he replied drowsily; although he knew that she would have helped herself in anyway—answer received or not.

The door creaked open and the young woman stepped in. She was a shorter human with a round face, her big grey eyes framed by large rectangular glasses, and her blonde hair pulled back into a slightly messy bun. Her large smile and bouncy manner granted her an amusing yet likable appearance. Rook had enjoyed her company at first, but now he had to admit her constant check-ins were getting irritating.

"Just wanted to check in," she chirped, folding her hands behind her back and beaming down at him.

Rook stared at her awkwardly. _Does she want me to say something? Why is she here now?_

As if to answer his question, the nurse walked over and picked up the now-melted icepack.

"I'll just get a new one of these for you, and the doctor should be back with some paperwork for Magister Tennyson," she said in the sunniest, happy-go-lucky tone she could muster, a tone that gave the alien a sickening feeling in his stomach.

Rook nodded inattentively. Shifting again awkwardly, he stared back at the wall, hoping the intruder would leave.

He had never actually been in the medical bay—or at least not for anything too serious. Maybe once or twice for a minor injury, but this was just embarrassing. He couldn't even walk around if he wanted to. It felt so strange, and even more so to have someone trying to 'help' him every five minutes.

"Need anything else?"piped the nurse as she smoothed her light blue shirt with a brush of her hand. Rook grumbled under his breath as his attention turned once again to the woman standing at the foot of the bed. _I think I need you to leave._

"No, thank you," he stated stiffly—almost mechanically. _You can go now. Please._

An awkward frown appeared on the face of the nurse. "Nothing at all?" she asked, staring at him intently through her bright eyes. Tilting her head, she observed the Ravonnahgander with a sad edge, as if offended by his lack of neediness.

Rook sighed quietly. "Nothing," he answered almost as emotionlessly as before. _Please. Go. Away._

"Oh, okay then. I guess I'll be going then," the blonde responded doubtfully as she shifted her weight over to one leg.

 _Finally,_ breathed Rook.

"Well, if you need anything else, just give me a shout," she added before edging out of the room in an awkward manner.

Rook raised an eyebrow and folded his hands over his chest as he lay back down. "I hope she does not mean that literally; I am not going to shout for anyone in an infirmary," he whispered to himself. _I do not even know her name to shout for her._

As soon as the door closed, Rook shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. Maybe _now_ he could get some rest.

KNOCK… KNOCK…

A long frown stretched across Rook's face as the knocking continued. It had hardly been a minute!

"Hey, Rook?" a familiar voice sounded from the door. Rook slowly opened his eyes in annoyance and turned to acknowledge the figure leaning against the doorway.

"Ben?" he asked as he struggled to sit up once again. "Um, what are you doing here?"

A brief smile flashed across the face of shaggy-haired teenager as he entered the room.

"I came to see how you were doing," the hero said as a mischievous grin stretched across his face. "I mean, it sounded like you got pretty beat up. How's it going?"

Rook frowned as his young partner stood facing him.

The teen had obliviously rushed through his usual morning routine. His brown hair looked chaotic and crossing his arms over his wrinkled white and green hoodie, Ben leaned against the corner and regarded Rook through dim sleepy eyes. And yet, there was something suspicious about his manner.

Rook sighed under his breath. "I am rather tired, but I shall live," he responded wearily. "Although I do not believe I will be of any help today. Or tomorrow, for that matter," he added, hoping to discourage whatever new scheme his partner had come up with.

"Don't worry," Ben said with a wave of his hand, his smile increasing in size. "Just get better as soon as possible. I still want to do that thing we planned yesterday. Hint… hint. And grandpa is never gonna let me do that alone."

Rook rolled his eyes. "That is right, our _investigation_ ," he whispered. "I still do not fully understand why your concept of fun revolves around getting into trouble."

The hero smirked playfully. "Not trouble necessarily," he shrugged. "I just have a thirst for action. I wouldn't call a healthy urge towards justice 'trouble.' Would you?"

"When it involves breaking a number of set rules? Yes, I would classify that as 'trouble,'" Rook replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Ben shrugged once again."Whatever. Now I have to go out and do _both_ our jobs until you're better; so I have an excuse," he sighed. His grin suddenly faded into a serious frown. "By the way, what happened last night?"

Rook fixed his gaze on the white sheets covering the bed and made no reply. He had hoped he could have avoided the question, but there was no escape now.

Silence filled the room, enhancing the white blankness of the air. Rook sat, his eyebrow furrowed in thought, until at last he turned to Ben and sighed. "I believe I had an encounter with the Forever Knights. But, I am not quite sure of what happened after that. I am also without a clue as to why I was their target. Everything is a bit, as you say, foggy. I cannot really remember."

Ben ran his hand through his shaggy brown hair as his gaze drooped down to the floor—not for the first time that day. "Yeah," he whispered quietly, "That attack was probably meant for me. Sorry about that."

"I am the one who should be sorry. It was extremely foolish of me to engage the enemy alone. As a trained Plumber I should have known-," Rook stopped as a shot of pain tore through his head, cutting his words short. Tugging slightly at the bandage around his forehead, he cringed, unable to focus on his thoughts. He had had a headache all morning, but now his head was beginning to pound harder than before. Almost to the same extent it had when he first received the injury. "Should have…um."

Ben tucked his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and watched Rook awkwardly, unsure of whether to do anything or not as Rook continued to struggle for the word or words he was trying to commute in vain.

The alien fumbled over his sentences until finally drooping his head in frustration, he sighed heavily. "Forgive me… I—I do not know… I cannot… I mean," he stuttered. Something was very wrong. Rook clenched his teeth and drew his hand to his head.

"Rook? Are you okay?" Ben finally asked, a worried and confused frown taking over his expression. He fingered the Omnitrix nervously as the guilt he had just managed to stifle began to dig its way back into his mind.

The Plumber struggled to respond. _What is happening?_ Images suddenly were flashing through his mind, flooding his thoughts, but Rook couldn't tell whether they were memories or just his imagination. They were rushing through his head, hardly slowing down enough for him to focus on any particular one. His heart was racing; he could almost feel the blood rushing to his head as the throbbing continued. Nothing was making sense. Everything was just a blur, and in the blink of an eye it was all over.

Rook was sitting back in the med-room, staring at the white painted wall ahead. Ben, a few feet away, was now desperately trying to get his partner's attention.

"Rook? Hellooo! Rook! What's goin' on in there? ROOK!" He called, his hand waving back and forth in the alien's face.

After a few shunned blinks, Rook snapped out of his daze and focused on the teen hero, still unsure of what had just happened. "I..Um...Nothing… I just… It… I need to… to rest," he answered, rubbing his temple. "I apologize. It is just that... my head is hurting. What were we saying?"

Ben slowly took a step back and looked Rook over suspiciously with his eyebrow raised. _Okay. That was really weird._ "Maybe I should get the nurse," he suggested. "If it hurts that bad."

Rook shook his head desperately, a distraught look taking form over his face."I would much rather you did not!" he answered with wide, worried eyes. "I just got her to…" the Ravonnahgander caught himself before continuing."I mean, I do not wish to distract her again. Please do not call her back in here!"

Ben smirked. "What? Rook, are you annoyed by the nurse?! I didn't think it possible!"he teased playfully. "Someone like you annoyed by a nurse?"

Rook's nose wrinkled in distaste at the comment, but his mind was on other things. There was something very wrong, and he knew it; he could _feel_ it.

 **A Few Minutes Before**

Max Tennyson squinted at the data-pad in his hands as he strolled down the corridor at a steady pace. Behind him trailed his grandson, the hero's gaze most likely fixed on the polished floor ahead of him as he reflected on his self-convicted failures.

The Magister sighed as he scrolled through the report he had just received. The Plumbers had had enough on their hands already, but now more things were starting to pile up.

The media was all over the 'Mysterious Alien Sniper' and they wanted more. There was nothing more exciting than a story involving an alien murder, especially when secrets were being kept by the people everyone was suppose to trust. The famous "hero" Ben Tennyson had failed as their protector, unable to save yet another innocent civilian from a criminal alien. And now it appeared that the so-relied-upon Plumbers were attempting a cover-up. There was also footage of an alleged fight between an alien Plumber and a human member of an unknown organization, but the details were unknown all thanks to the Intergalactic Plumber Organization.

Max was disgusted by it all. It seemed like every News provider had an agenda against them. And controversy was spreading like wildfire. If something didn't happen to turn the tides soon, the Plumbers were going to become less and less involved in keeping the peace.

"Um… Magister Tennyson?" the slightly squeaky voice buzzed through the grey-haired man's ear piece. Max paused in his tracks and brought one hand up to the com-link.

"Driba, what is it?" he barked gruffly, in no mood for the little aliens' seemingly unending bickering.

"Well, Blukic and I are nearing the final test for the autopsies. And we thought that you might like to see the results."

"They're shocking," a lower-toned voice interjected.

"No, they're not, Blukic! The second we started we knew we were working with a mutation!"

"They're still shocking," Blukic responded.

"Are not!"

"Enough!" Max yelled through the communicator before the fight could escalate further.

Ben glanced up at the Magister curiously before leaning against the wall.

"Now, what's all this about a mutation?" Max asked slowly.

"Well like I said, it became apparent soon after we started that this creature had an alteration in its DNA, and—"

"Know what: Save it. I'll be down there as soon as possible," Max grunted. His hand rested by his side, the Magister turned to the teen slouched against the wall. "You go on ahead, Kiddo. Looks like we finally have something to work with."

Ben's face brightened. "Finally! Took them long enough. It's like 10:30!"

Max sighed, "I know. I'm going down to the lab now. Seems like our sniper is some sort of mutant alien, or at least that's what I'm being told."

"Mutant? Huh," Ben stated. "Sounds interesting."

His grandfather nodded. "Let's just hope this brings us closer to finding whoever's behind this mess."

Ben nodded before taking off for the med-bay, the new info stirring in his mind.

 **A/N: Ok. Sorry this chapter is a bit rushed. I'm still not sure I'm satisfied with how it came out, but I think I'm starting to drag this along. The next chapter will probably be a lot more interesting. Please review! If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to speak up!**


End file.
